1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a user propelled merry-go-round and more particularly pertains to affording rotation of a merry-go-round using a bicycle-style method of propulsion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of merry-go-rounds is known in the prior art. More specifically, merry-go-rounds heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of providing entertainment are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, the prior art discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,275 to Ellico a rider propelled merry-go-round in the form of a simplified propulsion system for which a child's merry-go-round may be operated by hand, rather than by foot, including a small wheel member coupled to a leverage inducing arm. U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,949 to Ulferts discloses a merry-go-round comprising a multiple seat merry-go-round with safety hand rails for riders who do not propel the merry-go-round and pivoting drive handles each connected to a center post with an offset crank, with the offset crank angularly positioned at less than 180 degrees from another offset crank to ensure that there are no dead spots what would render the pivoting drive handles ineffective in starting rotation of the merry-go-round. U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,781 to Ahrens discloses a playground merry-go-round having a body section formed of a rotational molded polyethylene plastic for presenting a completely enclosed merry-go-round with no open areas. U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,961 to Mancusi, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,710 to Schwarzkopf; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,509 to Figura are provided as being of general interest.
In this respect, the user propelled merry-go-round according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of affording rotation of a merry-go-round using a bicycle-style method of propulsion.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved user propelled merry-go-round which can be used for affording rotation of a merry-go-round using a bicycle-style method of propulsion. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.